Truck Racks Aren't Just For Contractors - 8 Ways to Use a Truck Rack

By Andy West

When most people think of truck racks, they envision contractor's trucks -- often beat-up pickups with precariously mounted metal racks in their beds. While truck racks are well suited to a contractor's needs, they are also very versatile, practical accessories with many different uses.

To give you a taste of why truck racks are so popular among pickup truck owners, here are 8 ways to use a truck rack.

1. Hauling ladders and lumber.

As already noted, truck racks are the perfect solution for a contractor's needs. Strong ladder racks provide a way to haul ladders and lumber horizontally without hanging them off the end of the bed. Painters, auto glass installers, and similar professionals may also find that truck racks make it easier to haul their equipment and supplies.

When purchased to suit a contractor's needs, truck racks need to be very sturdy and reliable. Most likely a rack that features a permanent type of installation will work best for these purposes.

2. The cyclist's best friend.

Cycling is a popular sport in many areas, but unless you have an awesome network of bike routes in your city, you probably have to drive to get to the trailheads. Therefore finding a way to haul bikes is an issue for many people.

Truck racks make a great way to haul bikes -- much more appropriate than some of the other options, such as trunk racks for sedans. While bikes tend to bang around a lot when hung on the end of a trunk, truck racks enable you to secure them better -- often without having to take off the front tire, either.

3. Hitting the slopes.

Skis are another piece of sports equipment that is large and unwieldy, making transportation difficult. Leaving your skis loose in the bed of the truck to rattle and bang around isn't good for either your skis or your truck, and most sedans don't have enough room inside to carry skis safely. Truck racks and roof racks for sedans and SUVS solve this problem by enabling you to fasten your skis securely to the rack.

4. Four-wheeling glory.

Four-wheelers and ATVs -- small vehicles that people often drive on trails and across rough terrain in parks and open space -- are another type of sports equipment that must be hauled to your destination. Believe it or not, you can haul ATVs on truck racks and ladder racks -- the racks are made to withstand heavy loads such as an ATV, and keep the vehicle level and steady during transportation. Truck racks also make it fairly easy to load and unload ATVs, giving you more time to have fun when you reach your destination.

5. Carrying kayaks and canoes.

There is seemingly no end to the sports equipment that can be hauled on a truck rack! For obvious reasons, kayaks and canoes need to be transported to your destination, unless of course you live in Venice or happen to have a river running through your backyard. No matter how graceful these boats are in the water, they are heavy and unwieldy out of it. Truck racks provide a strong, secure method of transporting kayaks and canoes from point A to point B!

6. A place to put your luggage.

Whether you are taking your family on a road trip or run a shuttle service, truck racks and roof racks for vans and SUVs provide a great place to stash luggage. If you have four or more people in your family or if you have full occupancy in your shuttle, interior space will be at a premium, so why not move some of the luggage to the exterior? Luggage racks can help cut down on sibling squabbles during road trips -- or, for the shuttle owner, they can help to create a more organized and professional appearance to appeal to riders.

7. Saving space with cargo boxes.

Even when you are not taking a road trip or taking on passengers, space inside a vehicle -- particularly a truck -- is at a premium. Just thing about all the things you take with you when you leave the house -- things that quickly pile up inside the car -- and you will understand what I mean.

A truck rack offers a practical solution to this problem, as it can carry a couple cargo boxes. Instead of keeping things you rarely use inside the truck, you can put them inside the cargo boxes, and save the cab space for more important things -- like your friends and family.

8. Just for looks!

Of course, you really don't need to have a practical reason to put a truck rack on your truck. Many people buy truck racks just because they like the way they look. Many truck racks -- such as certain models of headache racks -- are compatible with light racks and other truck accessories, making them ideal choices for anyone who wants to improve the appearance of their truck.

Whatever reason you have for wanting a truck rack, you have every reason to be happy with your investment - truck racks are some of the most versatile and useful accessories you can buy!

Andy West is a freelance writer for BuyAutoTruckAccessories a website offering a huge selection of Truck Accessories at the lowest prices.

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Cleaning the Most Dirty Vehicles in the World - Garbage Trucks

By Shawn A Robertson

Washing a refuse truck, a garbage truck or a trash truck is very tough as these trucks are made in a specific way that the holes and little boxes these trucks has will spray all the water on you. The water will come back from all diverse angles and will soak you. Therefore, any dirt or soil on the truck will be on you. These trucks are very difficult to wash because one has to soap up every single square of the whole garbage truck.

If you are employed in a Green Team, BFI or local municipality, they will have more than forty trucks. Therefore, it is very hard to accomplish the job but you can earn handsome amount of money through this job. These trucks bear hydraulics lifts in their front and it may be risk of fire if you do not cleanse all of the grease. Grease is normally present in the hydraulic mechanical fittings. Drivers attempt to squeeze as much garbage as they could into these trucks so that they have to do fewer trips. Each time these trucks go to the dump it costs good amount of money to the company.

These trash companies want to have clean vehicles, just like federal express maintain their vehicles. These companies are seeking to have good image like Federal Express. While cleaning handles of these trucks you have to use your hands. You can not use brushes between the little squares and handles.

While cleaning these waste trucks it is better to wear a suit that can protect you from the water. You are able to spray water on these trucks and as well can repeat with hot water and high pressure and can clean them pretty much without using your hands. Nevertheless, when you clean these trucks for first time you have to use your hands. If you do not have a good team then you will waste all your effort and labor.

Cities own garbage trucks that are used for garbage collection. In order to get the job you are required to bid on an annual contract. Most of the city contracts begin from June until next June. Most of the cities contract with Waste Management, BFI, or other big trash companies.

Some cities and counties clean their own used garbage trucks, as they might possess municipal yard. A county might also own recycling trucks, which they possess as part of a reprocessing program. If you want to have a government contract, you have to bid for that and then you will have lots of work for one year. Nevertheless, your team must be good in cleaning these trash trucks otherwise you will not get the perfect compensation you want.

Shawn A. Robertson is a expert author on refuse trucks, garbage trucks and trash trucks. He has written a number of articles like buying garbage trucks and used refuse trucks, and waste trucks.

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Long Haul Trucking - A View From the Cab

By Rick Huffman

Trucking is not just a job; it is a lifestyle. For most, the transition to the trucking lifestyle is a difficult one. This is the reason why the vast majority of CDL school graduates are no longer in the trucking business after six months... or shorter. They are not prepared for the challenges or for the days and weeks spent away from home and family. Some universal truths about the trucking industry are not always pretty.

One of the first, and most obvious, is that any company engaged in the trucking business is not going to offer the normal amenities that are taken for granted in most other jobs. For instance, sick leave is non-existent in most trucking jobs. If you don't work, you don't get paid... period.

When I worked a "normal" job, it never posed much of a problem if I needed to take half a day off for a doctor's appointment. In trucking, keeping a medical or dental appointment is often a roll of the dice. You never know if you are going to be home to keep it. I once lost a crown on one of my front teeth, and had to drive around for two weeks looking like a prizefighter that should consider alternative career options.

When I worked a "normal" job, no matter how stressful or harrowing the day had been, I always had the comfort of knowing that I would go home at the end of it and sleep in my own bed. In trucking, a long-haul driver eats alone in his truck or at a truck stop at the end of a long day, and then retires to the "comfort" of a small sleeper berth. Then, he gets up after a few hours rest and does it all over again. I never thought it would be possible to miss the company of some of my annoying former co-workers, but the loneliness of the road is very real.

One of the biggest issues affecting many truckers is anti-idling laws adopted by many states. These laws put limitations on the amount of time a truck is allowed to idle and offers stiff penalties to violators. For instance, in the city of Denver, a truck can legally idle for 10 minutes per hour. Well, if it is 8º in the Mile-High City, it takes 10 minutes or longer just to warm up a diesel engine. Do the lawmakers expect the driver to get up throughout the night every hour to idle for 10 minutes and then return to a freezing cocoon? The only word that pops into my mind is... DUH!

In Illinois, the law states that a driver must be present when idling. I wonder how law enforcement intends to discern this. Should they knock on the cab to wake us up? This seems like an equally brilliant method to assist a driver in developing a healthy sleep pattern.

The laws in other states are proportionately ingenious, but I think that the people who drafted these laws should attempt to rest in a 20º truck in the winter, or a 95º truck in the summer. Then, let's drive 600 miles the next day and-think safety!

Unfortunately, this indifference to basic humanity does not stop with bone-headed lawmakers. I have experienced it, firsthand, from a trucking company. The story goes like this:

Shortly after I had arrived in Odessa, Nebraska, my air-conditioning compressor died and it got well above 90º in the truck. I called the breakdown department to tell them that I needed to drop my load at a nearby terminal so that I could have it repaired. The initial reply that I got was, "The Company doesn't consider air-conditioning to be a valid reason to reassign a load."

My reply was, "That's probably because 'the company' is not the one who is trying to get some rest in a ninety-five degree truck so that they can drive 600 miles tomorrow. If the roles were reversed I'll bet the pointer on their 'validity scale' would have a dramatic reversal."

It boggles my mind when I consider that most people would be prepared to come to blows over an issue of having their pet subjected to extreme heat or cold, but many trucking companies and lawmakers seem to pay no heed to a moral thermometer in regard to subjecting truck drivers to sub-standard conditions. This seems to lend support to my assertion that a trucking company appears only to care about the amount of revenue generated-not the welfare of the driver. Despite their sophist rhetoric to the contrary, the reality lies in their actions.

On this occasion, it was necessary to threaten to quit in order to afford myself a basic necessity. However, playing the "I'll quit" card isn't always the smart option. If a driver quits when he is a long way from home, and then expects the company to provide him with transportation, he is in for another wakeup call. As another driver points out on a popular trucker's forum in regard to this:

"They will bend you over and give it to you with no Vaseline every time... guaranteed!"

The smart option is to suck it up and wait until you are routed home and all of your belongings are removed from the truck. A trucking company will not pay to have your belongings shipped either. At the very least, the truck should be turned in at a company terminal and the driver should have the financial forethought to provide his own transportation for himself and his belongings. Believe me, if you get mad and quit when you're in Moose Turd, Ontario, you'd better have a heavy parka and a good pair of snowshoes!

When it comes to large trucking companies, there seems to be no way to get past the impersonal nature of it. One of the reasons is that dispatchers are assigned to zones. As a result, the drivers and the dispatchers never get to know one another on a personal level. To me, the dispatcher in whatever zone I happen to be in is a faceless "John", and to him, I am merely a truck number. I have encountered a few exceptions to this rule, and I tip my hat to the precious handful that has attempted to insert their own personal touch. But in the end, the grinding cogs of the huge corporate machine tend to drown out their tiny voices, and the machine spews out a number.

I have often gotten the distinct impression that many managers and dispatchers actually think that they know what road life is like. Having resided on both sides of the fence, I'll say that they can understand the trucking life by sitting behind a desk about the same way that I can understand what it's like to be a cowboy by watching a rodeo. I may get a narrow snapshot of what it's like to be a cowboy, but I still have no inkling of the cowboy life.

While sitting in an air-conditioned office, it is impossible to understand what it's like to have the need to make nightly applications of Emu oil on your feet to keep your heels from cracking; or the necessity to urinate in a milk jug; or being forced to drive 600 miles with a toothache; or the need to spray Lotrimin in your crotch to prevent jock itch. Neither, can they understand the necessity to spend an entire day of precious home time making preparations to go on the road again.

I'll be the first to admit that my "view from the cab" does not provide me with an insight to the inner workings of a trucking company or the stresses, responsibilities, and headaches contained therein. I also concede that successful management does not always coincide with the desires of employees. Despite my railing, I have a high degree of respect for strong, competent, and ethical business leaders. Like truckers, they do not live in a world where "just anyone" can thrive. My contempt is only for the business leaders who are greedy and unethical, and whose primary goal is to line their own pockets like a squirrel stuffing acorns into it's cheeks, with no regard to the hardworking people who make their standard of living possible.

The trucking industry sheds a bright spotlight on the fact that there are often ethical conflicts between making money, and doing the right thing. A description on a trucker's website paints the trucking industry as: "...basically a slave industry with truckers working on the average of over 70 hours per week, many of [whom] are not paid while sitting in shipper's parking lots for, sometimes, 8 hours or more (a whole workday for average Americans!) Truckers are not paid overtime as others."

I probably wouldn't go so far as to call it a "slave industry". Any driver is perfectly free to quit at any time, but the trucking industry certainly, in my estimation, lags behind in affording the basic amenities for drivers enjoyed by the majority of the American work force. Trucking, certainly, is an industry in which you have to stand up for yourself, or you'll have footprints all over your face.

On a few occasions, I have been asked to offer an insight by people who are considering a career in trucking. The following is the advice I would give to any prospective new truck driver:

· Trucking is a lifestyle more than it is a job. If you are not prepared to make a MAJOR lifestyle change, save your CDL school money and forget about it.

· Research the companies. Check them out online, talk to experienced drivers, and do not be afraid to ask questions. Interview the company. Yes, you heard me right. Prepare a list of questions for a company that you are considering and do not be shy about asking them. Any recruiter worth his salt will be glad to indulge you. If he isn't... run like the wind. Join a trucker's forum to get straight answers and to separate the wheat from the chaff. A recruiter isn't going to tell you that the company he is recruiting for has a 120% turnover rate among drivers. Research the companies!

· Your first trucking job will probably not be with a blue chip company. The genuinely good companies only hire experienced drivers and they do not use recruiters... they don't need to. All but the most fortunate have to pay their dues before they have a fighting chance to get hired by a really good company that will treat them with respect.

· Even the "good" startup companies are going to treat you like a piece of meat. They care about the freight being delivered... period. Your home time, your quality of life, and your job satisfaction are purely secondary concerns. Be prepared for it.

· If you are thinking of becoming an owner/operator, educate yourself as to what this entails. I've seen plenty of new owner/operators who were desperate to sell their truck after 6 months. I'd recommend that anyone start out as a company driver to ensure that trucking is actually what he or she wants to do for a living. I cannot stress it enough... Educate yourself!

· Even with this being said, trucking can still be what you make of it. It affords a freedom and autonomy that most other jobs cannot come close to. Trucking can be a rewarding career, but it doesn't come without major sacrifices. If you aren't prepared to make those sacrifices, don't waste your time and money.

Rick Huffman is a National long-haul driver who spent 20 years in the broadcasting industry before becoming a trucker. He describes the career change as, "...the best decision I ever made on one day, and the worst one I ever made on the next."

rickhu45@yahoo.com
http://lifeofanamericantrucker.blogspot.com
http://www.google.com/profiles/rickhu45

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Mack Trucks - The Bulldog Is Back And Stronger Than Ever

By Michael Ottman

When your sights laser in on a pugnacious little bulldog blazing down the street, what is the first thought that crosses your mind? Well, if you are semi truck driver, you will leap and yell 'Hey! That's Mack!' Bull Dog is a trademark of Mack Trucks Inc, an old horse in the trucking world. Mack Trucks Inc is known for building heavy-duty trucks that are capable of enduring a punishing terrain and the vagaries of nature.

The journey of Mack Trucks began in 1893 when the Mack brothers, Jack and Augustus, bought over Fallesen & Berry factory. Soon, the Macks started experimenting with various steam and electric motor cars. Inspired by the inventions taking place all around him, Jack envisioned the building of heavy -duty trucks and thus began an eventful journey. The first product from the house of Macks was a bus, which was used by sightseeing concessionaire Harris and McGuire, for eight years before it was converted into a truck. The success of this bus egged the Mack brothers to continue with truck development. However, old Mack trucks were known as 'Manhattan Trucks' as the brothers had sought a different name to distinguish the trucks from their other business, viz. their horse-drawn carriages.

In the early 1900s, Mack Trucks became famous as ever-reliable trucks that could easily endure rugged terrains. Soon enough, the brothers engaged in adding new features that would enhance the safety and comfort aspect of the driver. For instance, Mack Truck Inc. were the first truck manufacturers to introduce a constant mesh feature that protected gears from being damaged or stripped by inexperienced drivers.

In 1919, Manhattan Trucks was re-christened as 'Mack'. Later, in 1922, it adopted bulldog as its corporate logo. As to how a bulldog was chosen as, a symbol of Mack Truck Inc. is an interesting story in itself. Lore at Mack Truck Inc. say that during the First World War, the British government had chosen the sturdy Mack trucks for transporting important war supplies and food requirements to the soldiers on the front. These Mack trucks, with their blunt-nosed hood, resembled a bulldog. Besides, the Mack trucks were proving as tenacious as bulldogs. These qualities reminded the British soldiers of their official mascot the 'British Bulldog'. In fact, when faced with a truck problem, the soldier would often say, "Aye, send in the Mack Bulldogs!" Now, Mack Truck Inc. viewed this as a matter of pride and hence they adopted the bulldog as a corporate symbol to represent all the future generation of Mack trucks.

Since then, Mack trucks have undertaken important missions of national and international importance. For instance, they played an important in the trans-continental convoy conducted by the US Army, which highlighted the need for a national highway system. Similarly, Mack Truck Inc. played a major role in the building of the Boulder dam. It also played an important role in the Second World War. Mack trucks found themselves adorning the role of prime movers, personnel carriers, wrecker trucks, tank transporters, and more.

Thus, Mack trucks had played an important role in the American history and are now serving the needs of a modernized world.

The author is an independent publisher that covers multiple topics in the heavy duty truck aftermarket. Trick-My-Truck.com is a website that pays special tribute to the Mack truck owner operators with a display of semi trucks.

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Mud Trucks

By Seth Miller

Mud trucks are used for mud racing, also called as mud bogging. Different types of trucks are available in the market, but some trucks are exclusively designed for special purposes. Mud trucks are hefty trucks having bigger wheels than those of regular trucks. These wheels may have extra ridges for a firm grip on muddy surfaces. There are other types of trucks such as monster trucks, 4X4 trucks, and lifted trucks, but mud trucks stand apart from others because of their special characteristics. Maneuvering a mud truck is not easy and requires special training for mud truck racing.

Humans have been fascinated by almost all types of races, games, and other recreational sports, for years. In olden times, rich and mighty monarchs used to encourage activities such as horseracing, camel racing, bull fighting, and many other leisure pursuits. Then came the era of industrial revolution in Europe and on the North American continent. Traditional vehicles of transport became obsolete and modern cars, trucks, and other vehicles took their place. Public and goods transportation dramatically improved, human life gradually became easy, and humans could save their time and money. All these things can be attributed to the development and popularity of racing, in one or the other way.

Internet is a suitable option for enthusiasts to search for mud trucks. Various websites display high quality pictures, videos, and statistics related to truck racing. A patron can shop online, search by truck categories, get expert advice, understand technical aspects, and compare prices. Some examples of names of racing trucks are Executioner, Samson, Carolina Crusher, Predator, Snake Bite, and Bigfoot.

Mud trucks and other racing trucks generally have very attractive looks. They are usually painted in bright colors with different color combinations, and have interesting features, with state-of-the-art technology. A mud truck can be driven by one or two drivers. The driver's safety is a basic concern for mud truck manufacturers, because in mud truck racing, a truck may lose its grip on the ground and be toppled.

Trucks provides detailed information on Trucks, Truck Accessories, Truck Rentals, Moving Trucks and more. Trucks is affiliated with Truck Part Services [http://www.e-TruckParts.com].

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